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15 July 2025
A key figure illustrating the evolution of the Antarctic ozone hole from 1971 to 2021, originally published in Twenty Questions and Answers About the Ozone Layer: 2022 Update, is currently on display at the Fondazione Prada museum in Venice, Italy. Figure Q10.3 from the international Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion: 2022, is part of the exhibition titled "Diagrams: Data and Possibility of Facts" held May to November 2025. Programme excerpts detail the figure among the exhibit.
The exhibition, curated by architect Rem Koolhaas with support of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) | AMO studio, maps the enduring power of diagrams. The project explores the visual communication of data and its impact on contemporary culture, specifically centering on infographics and diagrammatic forms as tools for constructing meaning, knowledge, and understanding the world. Of the project's nine themes: Built Environment, Health, Inequality, Migration, Environment, Resources, War, Truth, and Value, the ozone hole figure is featured within the "Environment" theme, highlighting the significance of scientific data in understanding global challenges.
Its inclusion alongside historical diagrams and contemporary visual representations underscores its enduring relevance and impact.
"It was quite moving to see the Ozone Hole figure on display, given the breadth and depth of the exhibition", shared Ross Salawitch, lead author of Twenty Questions and Answers About the Ozone Layer, who made the effort to visit the exhibition in June. Citing other examples of importance, "the Astronomy section contains early maps of the nighttime sky, including a chart of the movement of the planets from a book published on 1661. Albert Einstein is pictured and quoted in the Atomic Bomb section of the War theme."
The origination of the figure is attributed to NASA Ozone Watch for the ozone data and images, Eric Nash, NASA GSFC for the data, Chelsea Thompson, NOAA CSL for the graphic / arrangement, and sponsor World Meterological Organization (WMO).
